


The Best of Intentions

by ReluctantHero



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alive Carla Yeager, Bottom Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Fluff and Angst, Good Parent Grisha, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, Past Relationship(s), Probably a happy ending, Top Eren Yeager, it's going to be sad!, not all sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-08
Updated: 2016-11-17
Packaged: 2018-08-29 23:19:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8509444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReluctantHero/pseuds/ReluctantHero
Summary: Levi had the very best of intentions when he let the love of his life go.He had turned his own life around when he did, finally heading in a direction he could be proud of.What happens when he meets his new boss?





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Look at me posting another story! It seems I enjoyed writing the last one so much I had to try it again!  
> Just a heads up, I am going to be fairly busy for the next couple months so I'm not sure how regular the updates will be. I was going to wait to post, but I just really wanted to get it out there. 
> 
> Man, summaries are hard, I hope it hooked you in though!
> 
> Please enjoy! I hope it doesn't suck!

\-----------------

"Here are those documents" Levi handed a small stack of papers to the tiny blonde haired girl sitting at the computer. Krista looked up at him, her big blue eyes wide with surprise.

"Already? Wow Levi, that's amazing, you've only been here three weeks and you don’t even need me anymore" She smiled sweetly.

"I wouldn't say that" He said, it was one of the rare occasions he was glad his face rarely gave away what emotion he was feeling as he was actually feeling a little proud at the compliment.

  
At 34 years old, Levi's life was finally heading in a direction he was happy with. Sure he only had an entry level administrative job, student loans he'd be paying off for years and a shitty apartment that he's probably have to keep a while longer but it was far superior to the dead end coffee shop job he had had for years.

No more bratty kids flooding the shop and messing up his clean tables and floors, no more serving snotty middle aged women who treated baristas like scum off their overpriced shoes, and best of all no more scrubbing the smell of coffee off his skin after every shift. He had hated that job, despite working there for more years than he's like to think about.

Only one good thing had ever come from it, though he didn't have it anymore it was brought him here. Pushing himself through school, working evening shifts, studying through the night until he finally had a diploma and now a receptionist position at a reputable company. He still had to make coffee occasionally but it was a small price to pay to feel like he was worth something.

"Seriously Levi, you've learned everything so fast and you do everything perfectly. It's been great working with you the last couple weeks. So much better than the last person I worked with, she barely did a thing. I might actually get to take a lunch break from now on" Krista giggled.

"I'm sure your girlfriend will love that, maybe she won't scare everyone when she comes in anymore." Levi said, amusement in his tone.

He had met Ymir a couple times, she tended to scare passersby when she was agitated. Levi was pretty intimidating himself, they usually just had a silent standoff for a moment before Levi got back to work. He wasn't great with new people but he had really hit it off with Krista, Ymir wasn't bad either.

"I can dream" Krista laughed.

"Hey there short stack!!" Hange yelled walking into the lobby, Levi groaned to himself making Krista laugh quietly as Hange practically bounced over to the reception desk.

"Don't you start work..two hours ago?" Levi glanced at the clock.

"Had an appointment. I brought drinks!" She sang laying the tray on the desk. "Black tea for my favorite shorty, and a latte for the adorable shorty that has to put up with him all day. Seriously, are receptions allowed to be above 5 foot 2?" Hange laughed.

"I'm 5'3 you shit" Levi grumbled

"You're 5 foot 2 and three quarters" She waved, rolling her eyes.

Krista couldn’t help but laugh. "You two bicker like an old married couple, it's so cute. How long have you been together?" She asked sipping her latte.

The two looked at the petite girl with horrified expressions,

"We are NOT together” Levi said in a voice that was menacingly calm.

"No no no! I love him and all but he's been my best friend since kindergarten. And gross!" Hange exclaimed.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I just assumed because you seem so close, but that makes more sense" She said meekly.

"Don't worry, you're not the first" Levi said then turning to Hange "Shouldn't you be getting to work?"

"Right yes! See ya!" Hange said grabbing the left over drinks and dashing to the elevator.

 

"Wait, kindergarten? Isn't Hange in her thirties?" Krista asked.

"34, yes" Levi said getting back to his work.

"You're 34?!?" Krista yelled.

"Yes" Levi raised an eyebrow.

"Wow! I thought you were younger than me! I'm 25!" She said, eyes nearly popping out of her head.

"Again, not the first" Levi said, giving her a tiny smile, she laughed and they continued to work for the remainder of the morning.

  
"Well that's lunch! Would you like to join me? Ymir can't make it today." Krista stretched, standing up from her computer

"Sure. I have a packed lunch, but I can walk with you" Levi said.

"Great! I'll grab something at the coffee shop and we can eat in the park. It's such a beautiful day!" Krista smiled angelically.

 

  
"So you recently graduated college, what made you start so late? Change of career?" Krista asked as they sat on the bench by the duck pond eating their lunches.

"I didn’t have an education before. I worked in a shitty coffee shop for years, I couldn't afford school, but I realized a few years ago it wasn't enough, I wanted to be more than that. So I got some student loans, worked evenings and got a diploma." Levi said quietly, he rarely divulged this information but Krista was just so sweet and innocent he couldn’t help it.

"Oh well good for you! That's so great. What made you realize you wanted to get an education?" She asked.

Levi's face fell as he looked into the distance "Someone very important to me." He said quietly.

"I bet they're very proud of you." She said sweetly

"He's not around anymore." He said sadly, images of brilliant smiles and big beautiful eyes flashed through his mind.

"What happened?" She asked, voice laced with sympathy.

"It was my fault, I don't really like to talk about it" he stared at the ground.

"I'm sorry. I didn’t mean to pry" She said

"It's fine" Levi still didn't meet her eyes.

"Well we should get back. The guys from head office are coming this afternoon." Krista said as they got up.

"What?" Levi exclaimed.

"Oh right, you've only been here a few weeks. There's nothing to worry about, they're harmless really. Very friendly. The new executive is officially starting work tomorrow, but they’re all coming in today to get him settled. He's a friend of mine actually, really great guy. He's so smart! He's been away at a very prestigious business school the last four years, graduated the top of his class, did a work term with an amazing company. I heard he did so well the two companies have a strong business relationship now and since the companies merged last month it's really good for us too and he's going to head this location. I'm so happy for him, he's worked so hard. And he's my age! Can you imagine being so successful at 25 years old?" She explained excitedly.

"Wow, that's impressive" Levi said as they made their way back to the office.

  
Krista gave Levi a list of things to do to prepare for the important men, he busied himself with the tasks in order to suppress the nervousness he felt at meeting the bosses. He didn't always make the best first impression and he really liked this job, he couldn't fuck it up. He finished everything, giving Krista the documents she requested before preparing coffee for their arrival.

"Hello Krista!" A short bald headed man said cheerfully as a small group walked into the lobby.

"Hello Mr. Pixis, how's your granddaughter?" Krista smiled sweetly.

"Oh she's amazing, turned three last week, we had a blowout of a party!" He said happily.

"I bet you spoiled her rotten!" Krista laughed with the older man.

"I certainly did! I'll have to show you pictures later" He said.

"Oh I would love that!!" Krista laughed then turned to everyone else.

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet our new receptionist Levi Ackerman. Levi this is Mr. Dot Pixis, Mr. Keith Shadis, Mr. Grisha Jaegar and our new Head Executive---" Krista was interrupted from her introductions

"Eren!" Levi blurted, starting at the young Businessman with wide eyes. Those familiar big beautiful ocean green eyes staring back with equal surprise.

"L-Levi" Eren whispered.

"Levi? Well it's nice to see you again!" Grisha said with a friendly smile, extending his hand.

Levi tore his eyes away from Eren to look at the familiar older man "Y-yes, you too sir. I'm sorry, I'm being impolite" Levi said shaking Grisha's outstretched hand.

"No harm done, we all get caught off guard sometimes." He said, eyes flickering between him and his son before turning towards Krista,"It was nice to see you again Krista, we'll begin the tour now. Good day" he said with a friendly smile, leading the group toward the elevator.

"You as well Mr. Jaegar, let me know if you need anything" Krista said sweetly.

Eren hesitated "It's nice to see you Levi" He said with a small smile though it didn't reach his eyes as Levi knew they usually did.

"It's nice to see you as well.. Mr. Jaegar" Levi said, trying to keep his voice steady as Eren's eyes lingered on him for a moment, sadness evident in his eyes before he followed the departing men.

"You know each other?" Krista asked, shocked at the exchange.

"We used to." Levi said quietly as he sat back down at his computer.

"Oh my god. You're that Levi!" She gasped, hand covering her mouth.

"I'd really rather not talk about it. Please" Levi said, ignoring the break in his voice, focusing on his work again, using every ounce of strength he possessed not to let the water filling his eyes escape.

 

  
\-----------Flashback--------------

 

_Levi watched at the beautiful green eyed brat waited in line, smiling to himself as he watched the boy glance up at him nervously. Many customers were afraid of him but this kid seemed to be nervous in a different way._

_After handing the previous customer their beverage—he couldn't call it coffee, there was no coffee left in it after that amount of cream and sugar—he quickly made the next and leaned on the counter, pushing it towards the boy as he walked up with a confused look on his face._

_"Two milk, one sugar. Your usual isn't?" Levi said with a small smirk, the kid was adorable with his mouth hanging open slightly._

_"You remembered my order?" He asked._

_"Kid, you order the same thing nearly every day" Levi said flatly._

_"Still.." He said blushing slightly Levi chuckled lightly._

_"You're adorable. Can I get you anything else?" Levi asked, watching in amusement as his head nearly exploded._

_"H-how about a date?" He stammered, catching Levi by surprise._

_"Damn kid, does that usually work?" He asked._

_"I'm not sure yet, how about you tell me?" He said with a cocky smile, confidence coming out of nowhere._

_"Look, you seem like a nice guy and you're very attractive but I don’t date kids. Sorry." Levi said standing up to wipe down the counter while there was a lack of customers._

_"Hey! I'm not a kid!" He exclaimed, Levi raised a brow._

_" Are you sure?" He smirked._

_"Yes! Beside, you can't possibly be much older than me!" He said defiantly._

_"You'd be surprised kid" Levi._

_"I'm not a kid! I'm 19 years old, I'm studying for a business degree. How old are you?" He asked_

_“28.” Levi said flatly and Eren's eyes grew comically wide_

_"Damn" He whispered._

_"So like I said, I don’t date kids" Levi said._

_"I'm still not a kid. And nine years is not a big deal" He said Levi quirked a brow at him._

_"You're cute kid, but it's still no" he said._

_"Eren" the boy said._

_"Hm?" Levi asked looking back up at him._

_"My name is Eren" he said confidently._

_"Levi" Levi said with a small smile, watching as Eren left._

 

\-----------End of Flashback-----------

 

 

An hour or so later after his brief encounter with Eren, Levi was still reeling.

He silently worked on his computer, trying to ignore the twisting of his stomach, the painful ache of his chest. He jumped when he heard the elevator ding, looking up to see Hange dashing out. But without her usual grinning face; her eyes filled with concern, mouth in a tight frown.

"Levi!" She said and pulled him from his seat and into a hug. She didn't have to say anything, Levi knew Hange had seen Eren. Levi melted into her embrace, not even caring that Krista was watching in shock and worry.

"It's fine, I'm fine" Levi said quietly, however the tight grip on Hange's shirt told her otherwise as she rubbed his back.

"You're coming over tonight? I'll call Petra, she'll pick up some wine. We'll just hang out and talk. We'll invite Erwin as well, have a great evening." Hange said as Levi pulled away nodding.

"Sure. Thanks Hange" he said and she gave a warm smile.

"Great. I have to get back, I'm swamped but I will be back at 5, then it's party time! She said, he nodded and she walked back to the elevator to get back to work.

"Are you okay?" Krista asked quietly.

"I'm fine. I'm sorry, that was very unprofessional of me" Levi said Krista waved to dismiss his statement.

"Don’t worry about that. We all have our moments. I guess there's always two sides to a story huh?" She said with a small smile.

"Whatever Eren told you is the truth, he never did anything wrong. I'm an asshole for hurting him." Levi said.

"It seems as though you hurt yourself as well" Krista said sympathetically.

Levi's lip trembled slightly "I-I'm going to go get started on the filing" he said painfully, she nodded turning back to her computer as Levi grabbed a stack of papers and headed to the room with the filing cabinets.

Closing the door behind him he may have let a couple tears slip as he buried himself in his work.  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you like it?
> 
> It's been rolling around my head for weeks now, I hope it turns out okay!  
> Please tell me what you think!
> 
> I love comments! I try to reply to them all! (I just like talking to people haha)
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone who read the first chapter! I hope you liked it! 
> 
> This is most of the rest of what I have finished so far, I'm not sure how sporadic the updates will be, I actually have time in the evenings right now and most of the weekend will be free but I'm going on a trip next week, so I guess we'll see what happens!
> 
> Please enjoy!!

 

 

"Levi, you did the right thing. Eren is a big time businessman now. He went to the best school in the world and is an executive of a company straight out of school!" Erwin said, slurring his words slightly as they all sat around Hange and Petra's living room drinking wine.

"I know. He's just so fucking beautiful. He was always beautiful, even when he was a skinny 19 year old that wore nothing but ratty jeans and hoodies, but now he's mature, confident, professional. Everything I knew he could be without me standing in the way." Levi said drunkenly, gulping down the rest of the wine in his glass.

"He was cute wasn't he" Petra reminisced with a goofy smile.

"The fucking cutest" Levi said dejectedly.

"You did what you thought was right" Hange said

"I shouldn't have gone out with him in the first place! Why didn't I listen to myself from the beginning?" Levi held his head in his hands, pulling at his hair.

"Don't do that to yourself Levi. Your time together was special. It made you who you are now." Petra said soothingly.

"Yeah! You would have never gone to school if it weren't for him, now look at you. Working in an office building, making decent money, out of that damn coffee shop!" Erwin half yelled, he was a pretty cheap drunk despite his size.

"Yeah, you worked there for years and hated every minute of it!" Hange exclaimed.

"I wouldn't have met Eren without it" Levi whispered, staring at the floor with his head in his hands as a tear finally slipped from his eye

 

 

\-----------------Flashback--------------

 

 

_"Still No" Levi said giving Eren a small smile as he handed him his coffee._

_"Not giving up" Eren grinned._

_He had become cocky the last couple weeks since he first asked Levi out. Sure their interactions had become a little more flirty and Eren had gotten more than one smile out of the naturally stoic man, but it wasn't going to happen._

_"You're wasting your time" Levi said, Eren shrugged._

_"We'll see. Can I get a lemon poppy seed muffin as well? I'm going to be here a while" He said with a smile Levi rolled his eyes and grabbed the muffin._

_"See ya Levi" Eren grinned and brought his things to a table where he laid out some books and began studying._

_The kid was a cocky shit but he knew how to focus, he could study for hours in the shop, barely looking up from his books, no matter the commotion. Levi had caught himself watching him more often than he would like to admit._

  
_Levi groaned as we watched a group of women with small children come in. This happened often; these women going out for a coffee date, letting their children run wild, getting sticky fingerprints all over the glass cases, running into other patrons, being incredibly loud. Honestly, why didn't they bring the damn kids to the McDonald's playroom. They could ignore them there without disrupting the entire area._

_Levi begrudgingly served them; suppressing his anger as none of them could decide what they wanted, talking loudly about each item and going off topic, holding up the line up behind them. When they were all served Levi decided to leave the counter to the other barista while he grabbed some cleaning supplies and new merchandise to refill the shelves with._

_Of course Eren always sat at the table next to the merchandise shelf, the little shit figured out Levi was always the one assigned to this task, so he could chat with him while Levi worked._

_As he walked towards the cabinets, Eren pushed the chair across from him out with his foot, looking up with a smirk._

_"Nice try, I'm not on break" Levi said opening his ladder as some of the kids ran by. "Brats" he grumbled under his breath as he climbed up and began his work while Eren returned to his book._

_Levi got lost in cleaning. It was his quiet time when he was able to calm down and just think, instead of deal with shitty customers, regretting all the life choices that lead him to where he was. He barely noticed as the kids ran around the store constantly, that is until they snagged the ladder he was standing on._

  
_"Whoa. Shit. SHIT!" He cried when he couldn't steady the ladder and it began to tip._

_It was over, he was dead. Four feet didn’t seem like much but when you're barely taller than that anyway and it's a concrete floor below you, it wasn't going to end well. He closed his eyes as he felt himself falling, but when he hit it was much sooner than he expected, also a lot softer._

_The ladder clattered to the floor loudly and the entire shop went silent and Levi opened his eyes, big blue green eyes staring at him in worry._

_"Levi! Are you okay??" Eren asked frantically._

_Levi stared at him as the manager ran out from the back, eyes wide in panic._

_"Oh my god, Levi are you alright?" She yelled._

_"Y-yeah. I'm fine" Levi said not taking his eyes off of his saviour. "Eren caught me" He added._

_"Holy shit. Thank you so much Eren, that could have been extremely bad! Levi, take the rest of the day off. Collect yourself. Eren free coffee for the next year for being a hero!" She exclaimed as Eren put Levi down gently._

_"T-thank you Eren" he said, trembling._

_"Of course Levi, I couldn’t let you fall!" He said wrapping his arms around the smaller man._

_"You're shaking! Come on, let me bring you home." Eren said. Levi nodded._

_"Okay" He whispered and he waited for Eren to pack up his things, got Levi's things from out back and Eren guided him to his car. A little fancier than the average 19 year old would drive but Levi couldn't really think about that right now. He gave Eren directions to his apartment and sat quietly in the car._

 

_"You sure you're alright?" Eren asked as he walked Levi to his door, ignoring Levi's protests._

_"I'm fine. I promise" Levi said as they stopped at the door._

_Eren nodded and Levi stared up at him. He then moved to stand on his toes and kissed Eren's cheek gently "I'm off at 4 on Saturday" He said, Eren's cheeks flushed as he looked at Levi stunned, until realization dawned on him._

_"You'll go out with me?" He asked hopeful._

_"One date! You saved my life, the least I can do it give you one date. If it's horrible I am under no obligation for a second!" Levi stated with a glare._

_"Done! I'm going to make it the best date you've ever had!!" Eren said excitedly, making Levi chuckle._

_"Pick me up at 6?" Levi asked._

_"I will be here!" Eren said with a big smile and Levi let himself into his apartment._

 

\------------End of Flashback-------------

 

 

“Hard night?” Krista giggled, hanging up her coat next to the desk as Levi groaned from where he sat, head laying on his desk.

“Wine drunk is the worst drunk” he grumbled making her giggle again.

“Been there” she said and Levi sat up with another groan.

“Alright time for work” he said logging on to his computer, soon hearing the lobby door open. Levi looked up, heart stopping momentarily as he watched Eren walk in.

Levi had noticed some differences in Eren yesterday but the surprise and surge of emotions hadn't allowed him to fully take in this new Eren.

He had always thought Eren was the most beautiful man he had ever encountered, with his radiant smile and captivating eyes. Though he hadn’t seen Eren's signature smile—for good reason, he knew—but his eyes were as beautiful as Levi had remembered. He had filled out and his features matured, he looked so sexy and professional all at once in his tailored suit.

Did he get taller?? That little shit. Levi wanted to smile but he also wanted to break down and cry, because walking towards him was the love of his life that he had pushed away years ago. It hurt as much now as it did then. It had never stopped hurting, he had only been managing the pain, refusing to let himself think of Eren for over four years. But that was impossible now wasn't it? Eren was his boss now, and while he was so proud of him, he wasn't sure if he would be able to handle seeing him everyday. He'd have to make himself remember that it was for Eren.

It was all for Eren and Eren turned out better for it.

  
“Hey Krista. Levi.” Eren said with a smile as he stopped at the reception desk. He looked more composed than yesterday, the surprise of seeing Levi had faded and he carried on like everything was perfect, though Levi couldn't help but notice the dark lines under Eren's eyes, obviously the younger man didn't have a proper nights sleep either, and Levi hoped it hadn’t been caused by him.

  
“Hey Eren! I mean Mr. Jaegar” Krista laughed. Eren grinned.

“Krista, you know you can call me Eren when it’s just us. We've known each other since high school, it's super weird for you to call me that” he said.

"It's not that weird, you're a big time businessman now! But yeah, I know what to call you, when." She smiled back.

Eren's eyes moved over to Levi. “Um. I guess you can call me Eren as well, Levi.” He said nervously.

“That might not be appropriate.. For me… since I’m still new” Levi added the last part in haste, chest aching as he watched the smile fall from Eren's face.

“Yeah. You’re probably right.” He said softly.

“Well I better get to work. See you later” Eren said and Levi watched him leave. Dropping his head onto the desk with a quiet groan when the elevator door closed behind him.

"It'll be alright" Krista said soothingly patting his back.

"You'll both figure out how to work together without it being awkward."

"I hope so" Levi said before sitting back up and continuing his work for the day.

 

 

Working with Eren wasn't as bad as Levi thought it might have been, they had little interaction besides the awkwardly polite 'Hello' whenever they passed each other. Thankfully the awkwardness was decreasing as time went on.

  
It had been a couple weeks since Eren had started, everyone seemed to respect their new boss and everything was running smoothly.

Eren usually spent the entire day in his office, rarely even coming down for lunch. So it was a surprise when one afternoon he practically ran off the elevator, smiling widely when Krista handed him a folder.

“Oh my god, thank you Krista, you are a lifesaver! I asked Hitch to prepare these documents yesterday morning 'I'll get right on that boss' she said, then takes half a day off, leaves at lunch and the documents are nowhere to be found! I call her and she's just like 'sorry boss'" Eren rants angrily.

"Sorry, I shouldn't be telling you this, I just have a conference call in half an hour and I needed these" Eren said calming himself.

"Don’t worry, we're all friends here" Krista smiled and Eren's eyes flicked to Levi for a moment. "Besides it was no trouble, I told Levi what we needed and he had everything in minutes. He's a wiz!" Krista beamed, causing Levi to blush slightly.

Eren smiled tenderly at him "I believe it, you were always so smart. I really appreciate your help Levi" he said.

"Never as smart as you" Levi slipped, he hadn’t meant to say that but it was true, he was always amazed at how intelligent Eren was, how determined and hard working he was.

He always had top grades and studied for hours everyday yet still made time for Levi. He had always been so proud of his boyfriend, it hurt to think about. This amazing man that was no longer his.

“I mean. Thank you Mr. Jaeger. I’m glad I could help” he said watching the smile fade from Eren’s face slowly, Levi seemed to have this effect a lot lately, rather than before when he always put a smile on Eren's beautiful face.

Eren nodded, "Well I have to get back and prepare." he said.

"Good luck! Let us know if you need anything!" Krista called as Eren left to go back to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!!
> 
> I hope you liked it, it seems a little slow maybe, I hope it's not boring.
> 
> Please tell me what you think!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to post this earlier but I've had such a bad headache all day (all week actually) I couldn't do it.
> 
> Anyway, here's Chapter 3. I'm spoiling you guys I think, with these daily updates (it's probably not going to keep going like that, we'll see what happens)  
> I have no idea how this story is going to end. The last one I had an ending from the beginning, it was filling in the middle, this times I only really had the beginning so let's see it unfold!
> 
> You guys are awesome, Thank you so much for reading and leaving and comments (they make me so happy even when things around me suck)
> 
> Please enjoy!!

 

 

"Good morning" Eren said with a smile as he walked into the building.

It had become a daily routine for him to stop and say Hello the two receptionists on his way in. Though Eren and Levi's relationship remained professional they were warming up to each other, speaking more comfortably with each other.

  
Levi greeted with a small smile.

"Good morning Eren" Krista chirped happily.

"Hey, Happy Anniversary! Where did Ymir take you last night? I heard she had something special planned" Eren leaned on the desk.

"She did, she took me to Sina. It was great." Krista said happily.

"Oh really, I found the service horrible there. They were snobby and rude, remember how horrible our first date was!" Eren laughed looking at Levi before realization hit him once again; sadness and pain clouding his eyes.

"Deplorable" Levi said softly, looking away.

"Oh really?" Krista sensed the change in atmosphere. "Well anyway, Ymir is no longer my girlfriend" she said, causing both men to look at her in shock.

She grinned and held out her hand; finger sporting an extravagant diamond.

"Holy Shit! Krista that's amazing!" Eren exclaimed.

"Wow! Congratulations!" Levi said wide eyed.

"Thanks, I'm pretty excited myself." She gushed.

"I'll have to text Ymir when I get upstairs. Wow. That's awesome. If you need anything don't hesitate to ask. I really need to get to work, I have a conference call at 9" Eren said, waving as he left.

  
"How long have you two been together?" Levi asked as they began their work for the day."

"10 years" Krista smiled, she was giddy and with good reason.

"That's really great, I'm happy for you" Levi said with a small smile.

"Thanks. Do you have anyone special in your life?" Krista asked, her voice calculating, obviously she had an ulterior motive to her question.

"No, I'm not exactly a ray of sunshine everyone wants to be around" Levi said flatly.

"Well I remember how Eren was when he was with you, he seemed to like you an awful lot" she said.

The words stung, he didn’t like to be reminded of what he had lost but he couldn't let it affect him forever, he did need to move on. Though it had been four years, he wasn't sure he could.

"I'm still not sure why" Levi said quietly.

"You know he hasn't had anyone since either" Krista said.

"What? Why not? He should be with someone, he deserves to be happy" Levi said earnestly

"He does. But I guess when you lose the love of your life it's hard to find someone else that measures up" Krista's words were harsh, hitting Levi hard.

He couldn’t find anyone, didn’t want to, no one could compete with Eren. Eren on the other hand, he was so bright and fun, he had his whole life ahead of him, countless opportunities. He needed someone who wouldn’t hold him back.

"Are you ever going to tell me why you left him?" Krista said finally.

"I did it for him" Levi said quietly.

The conversation ended there, they changed the subject to work related, wedding related and anything at all that wasn't Eren.

 

 

 

\----------------Flashback-----------------------

 

_Levi opened the door to his apartment finding Eren on his front step, wearing a suit and hold holding a small bouquet of flowers. He looked nervous, all the confidence he had displayed trying to win a date with the older man had diminished leaving him adorably bashful as he held the flowers out to Levi._

  
_Levi's eyebrows raised in surprise "Thanks, they're beautiful” he said taking the bouquet “am I under-dressed?” he asked looking down at his plain black button up and jeans._ _He didn't have formal clothes, he had nowhere to wear them nor the money to buy them._

_"No! You look great!” Eren exclaimed "Beautiful actually, like always" He added quietly, causing Levi to blush slightly. "_

_Let me just put these in water, come in" he said quietly and Eren waited in the doorway while Levi dealt with the flowers, coming back a moment later. Hesitantly threading his fingers through Eren's as they walked down the hallway, both blushing like teenagers._

  
_The date began pleasantly, Eren had held the car door for Levi, it was a bit much but Levi thought it was cute how hard he was trying._

_The restaurant he brought them too was a a little too much, however. Levi was definitely under-dressed. Sina was one of the highest end restaurants around, he had never been here only ever hearing about the extravagant atmosphere and expensive meals. Eren lead them inside and to the hostess, who upon seeing them grimaced, turning up her nose._

_"Can I help you?" She asked, disgust lacing her voice._

_"Reservation for Jaegar" Eren smiled, oblivious to the attitude exuding from the woman. She looked through her book a moment, sighing when she found his name_

_"_ _Right this way please" She said leading them to a table. Eren quickly pulled out Levi's chair for him to sit before sitting himself. They were given menus and left alone._

_"This is nice" Eren smiled at Levi as they opened their menus. Levi's eyes nearly popped out of his head._

_"Eren! This place is too expensive, I can't afford this" Levi hissed quietly._

_"_ _Order whatever you want, it's on me" Eren assured._

_"You're a student. How can you afford it?" Levi said with a glare._

_"Don’t worry about it" Eren smiled._

_Levi looked back at the menu, choosing the cheapest meal he could find. He glared at the waiter who had rolled his eyes upon hearing the order, deciding to ignore the horrible treatment and focus on Eren. The boy had worked so hard for so long to win a date with him, he had actually found it quite endearing not even minding the age gap anymore._

_That was until Eren began talking to him about the weather. He brought up the economy, politics, and any boring impersonal topic. Levi learned nothing of the beautiful young man that had piqued his interest for months. The carefree and happy man was now stiff, he seemed uncomfortable and forcing himself into the conversation._

_Their meals were taking an exceptionally long time to come back out, thankfully the waiter finally returned to refill their water. Levi frowned at the smug look the waiter was giving them, trying to focus back on Eren who still didn’t seem to notice, or at least was pretending not to. Levi tried to relax, maybe Eren was just trying to impress him, he was trying to hard, but the fact he was trying was good wasn't it? He was broken out of his thoughts when the air was knocked out of his lungs._

_"Fuck!" Levi gasped as an entire glass of ice water was spilled all over him._

_"What the hell!!" Eren yelled standing up with fire in his eyes._

_"Oops, I am so sorry" The waiter said with calm sarcasm. Levi could tell Eren was about the deck the obnoxious man, which would have made the night much more entertaining, however he was soaked and freezing and he wanted nothing more than to go home ._

_"Eren, take me home please" he said quietly, holding himself for warmth._

_Eren look at him, sadness and defeat in his eyes and nodded. He took off his coat, wrapping it around the petite man and leading him out._

_They drove home in silence, the heat blasting as Eren looked dejected and Levi looked out the window. When they arrived at Levi's building Eren walked him to the door._

_“_ _I’m sorry for such an awful date” he said sadly “I guess number two is off the table..” he added, not meeting Levi's eyes._

_“It was a horrible date.” Levi agreed._

_“I know.” Eren nodded._

_"Is that the type of date you usually like? Because if it is I don’t think we would work out anyway.” Levi said._

_“No! It’s not!” Eren exclaimed._

_“Then what the hell kid?” Levi asked._

_“I’m sorry, I just wanted to impress you. You’re so mature and cool. You're so much older than me, I didn’t want you to think I was a stupid kid” Eren explained._

_Levi gave a small smile. "Would you like to come in? We can order some pizza and actually get to know each other” Levi suggested and Eren’s head shot up._

_“Really?”  he asked, his eyes shining._

_“Yes, I was actually looking forward to this, I'd like to start over" Levi said._

_"Me too! I'd love to!" Eren smiled brightly and followed Levi inside._

  
_"It's not much" Levi said leading Eren to the living room where he sat down on the couch._

_"I love it!" Eren smiled, Levi chuckled at Eren's eagerness._

_"Order a pizza, whatever you want, but no bacon! I'm going to change." Levi said leaving the room. He quickly took a hot shower to rid himself of the chill he had gotten and dressed himself in a hoodie and sweatpants._

_"These are the biggest things I own, my friend Hange left them here for the odd time she stays over. They should fit, might be more comfortable than that suit" Levi said bringing out some more sweatpants and a t-shirt._

_Eren just stared at Levi, who then lifted a brow "What?" He asked._

_Eren blushed "S-sorry, you just look so cute" he said making Levi's face bloom a blush of his own as he threw the clothes at Eren who chuckled before going to the bathroom to change._

_They situated themselves on the couch when the pizza arrived and turned on Netflix, finding something they could just throw on while talking. Eren told Levi about his friends and family. He had an abundance of friends, which Levi was not surprised about, people were drawn to Eren, his energy and love of life._

  
_"What are you doing in school?" Levi asked, coming back from putting the remaining pizza away, sitting back down on the couch, substantially closer to Eren than he had been before. Eren hesitated in surprise but recovered quickly, putting his arm around the smaller man's shoulders._

_"Business. Working on my degree right now." Eren said._

_"That's interesting, what do you plan on doing?" Levi asked ._

_"_ _I plan on taking over my dad's business when he retires. Most people think he's pushing it on me but he's not, it's something I've always wanted to do. I've been dreaming of going to business school in Germany since I was a kid, it's one of the most prestigious schools with the best business program in the world, plus my family originated from Germany so I just always wanted to spend some time there. When I finish there I'll come back and work for my Dad." Eren explained._

_"That's nice. Really nice. It's great you're so close with your Dad. You'll be great, I know you will" Levi smiled softly._

_"What does your dad do?" Eren said with a smile._

_"Who knows. I never met him. My mom did what she had to do to get by" Levi said quietly, Eren's arm tightened around Levi's shoulder._

_"She sounds brave" he said._

_"She was. She was an amazing mother, she worked so hard, gave me everything she could" Levi reminisced._

_"Was?" Eren asked gently._

_"Yeah, she died when I was young" Levi said quietly._

_"I'm sorry" Eren said._

_"Don’t be, it was a long time ago. My Uncle raised me, he did his best too. We didn't have much but we got by." Levi wasn't sure why he was telling Eren this, he rarely divulged this information, but he just felt so comfortable around Eren, he knew he would never be judged by him._

_"Well I think he did a great job" Eren smiled, making Levi blush again, he had been doing this a lot lately._

  
_They continued talking for a long time, Levi told Eren about his own friends and some childhood stories involving Hange and later Erwin. Eren laughed loudly, proclaiming his need to meet these people. It had gotten pretty late and they reluctantly decided to end the evening, after such a horrible date they ending up having an amazing night. Levi walked Eren to the door, slipping him a piece of paper._

  
_"What's this?" Eren asked opening it up to find Levi's phone number, he looked up with a big smile._ _"Does this mean I'll get a second date?" He asked._

_"As long as you don’t try to impress me again" Levi gave a playful glare._

_"Definitely not" Eren laughed._

_"I had a great time tonight Eren" Levi said quietly looking up at him._

_"I did too" Eren said with a small smile as Levi stood on his toes to press his lips against Eren's softly._

_It was only a small kiss, lasting mere seconds, but the spark was undeniable. They parted, giving shy goodbyes before Eren left and Levi retreated back into his apartment, unable to stop the smile on his face._

 

 

\----------------End of flashback-----------------------

 

 

 

Eren came back down early in the afternoon, he looked stressed.

"Levi, where's Krista?" He asked frantically.

"She's on lunch, she went out with Ymir. Are you okay?" Levi was worried, he rarely saw Eren so frazzled.

"Yeah. Yes. No. Fuck, I need her." He said, he looked as though he would begin hyperventilating.

"What do you need? I can help you" Levi insisted.

"I have a huge presentation in an hour that I knew nothing about. Hitch was given the notice and didn't bother to inform me, now she's gone on another fucking personal day and I have to get everything put together and present in two hours and I am completely unprepared. My first presentation as an executive and I'm going to blow it. God I can’t do this, why did I think I could run a branch!" Eren rambled through his panic attack.

Levi jumped up, steadying the pacing man, "Shh, Eren you're fine. Everything is going to be fine. Just breathe. I'll help you, whatever you need. Just let me call Hange, her assistant can cover the desk until Krista get's back." Levi said in a calming voice.

Eren evened out his breathing, leaning his forehead against Levi's shoulder as Levi rubbed his back softly. Levi wanted to stay like this forever, oh how he missed Eren's touch. Unfortunately they had a deadline and Eren was no longer Levi's to touch, he wouldn’t take advantage of his panic attack. He gently pushed him off, called Hange and they both hurried back up to Eren's office.

 

  
They were frantic, the next two hours were spent sorting through documents, filling out reports, summarizing data. Things that should have needed close to a week to accomplish they managed to put together just in time for Eren's presentation. Eren insisted that Levi stay for the presentation, awkwardly sitting in the back of the room next to Grisha Jaegar, as if things couldn't get worse.

  
He was able to forget about the important man sitting next to him as he watched Eren. The panic and stress from earlier had smoothed away, he looked as though he was born to do this. Levi couldn’t help but smile. He knew Eren would make it, he would be everything he wanted to be and more, it made what he did a little more bearable.

"He's doing well isn’t he" Grisha whispered leaning closer to Levi.

"Yeah, he's great" Levi agreed.

"I know why you did what you did" Grisha said making Levi look at the older man with wide eyes.

"Oh?" He asked.

"Going to that school was the best thing Eren could have done for his career." Grisha said.

Levi look back to Eren, "I know" he said quietly, Eren caught his eye, giving him a small grin as he continued speaking.

  
Levi waited in the back of the room until Eren finished and walked his audience out of the meeting room. "You were amazing!" He said when Eren came back in.

"I couldn't have done it without you Levi, thank you so much!" Eren said wrapping his arms around Levi in a tight hug.

"Sorry" Eren said pulling away quickly.

"It's fine" Levi said not meeting his eyes.

"Well I'm starving. Let me take you out for dinner, to thank you for your help today" Eren said.

"I-I..." Levi began.

"Strictly professional" Eren insisted.

"Fine, I'm fucking starving" Levi said with a small grin.

"Great" Eren smiled and led Levi out.

 

 

 

 

The restaurant they went to was a small inexpensive restaurant nearby, one they had frequented when they were together because of their good food and reasonable prices. Even if Eren could afford it, Levi refused to let him take him to expensive places.

  
Levi's stomach dropped when they walked in, memories of old date nights flooding his senses. "I haven't been here in a long time" Levi said as they sat down.

"Yeah, me either.. Maybe this was a bad choice" Eren said uncomfortably.

"No it's fine. It's a nice place" Levi grabbed his menu.

"So I really can't thank you enough for your help today. I don't know what I would have done without you." Eren said.

"I'm sure you would have been fine, but I'm glad I could help. You were great, I was really impressed." Levi smiled at him, Eren's cheeks dusted pink. God this man was beautiful. How could such a beautiful, smart and successful man like this blush at words spoken by him.

"Not bad for the immature brat I was four years ago, huh?" Eren said with a smirk, though his eyes didn't hold the amusement his voice did.

Levi's breath hitched, his stomach dropped, "I never said you were immature" He said quietly, staring intensely into Eren's eyes.

"You didn’t have to." Eren looked away bashfully.

"I never thought it!" Levi insisted.

"Then why did you dump me?!" Eren shouted, face filled with hurt. Levi stared at him for a moment. He could feel his eyes filling up, his lip beginning to tremble.

"This was a bad idea" Levi said quietly, standing up and hurrying out of the restaurant.

"Levi! Wait!" Eren called after him but he didn’t stop, he had to get out. Images of a happy Eren filled his mind. The way he smiled at him, the way he touched him, held him, kissed him. They way he made love to him. Eren was his everything, the most important person in his life and he broke his heart.

He was outside before he could let the tears fall, pulling at his hair and pacing before he felt a hand on his arm, turning to find Eren.

"I'm sorry, I;m so sorry" Levi whispered.

"No, I shouldn’t have said that, it was completely uncalled for. We were actually getting to a good place. I'm not going to ruin this by bringing up the past. I've moved on, you've moved on, can we just try to be friends? Go have a nice meal as co workers?" Eren asked.

Levi nodded "Yeah. Okay. I'd like to be your friend." He said and Eren smiled.

"Good, I'd like that too" He said leading Levi back into the restaurant.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Please let me know what you think! I love hearing from you!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So my headache eased up thankfully. Sorry for the rant last time, I was irritated and having a bad day.
> 
> I'm a little sad that the fics I'm subscribed to haven't been updating lately, though I understand the authors are busy, they're just so good I want more! (though my one of my favorite ones updated earlier so that was nice)  
> On a positive note it's giving me more time to write plus I have no homework or plans this weekend so I'm all yours!  
> This chapter is longer than others, I'm sure you don't mind. Also took a bit longer because I had a bit of trouble getting it out in a way I liked.  
> I've worked pretty hard on it so I really hope you like it!
> 
> Please enjoy!!

 

 

"Hey Levi." Eren said leaning over the desk, waving at Krista who was on a phone call.

"Hey" Levi smiled. It had been a while since the presentation and restaurant incident. Things were going really well between them, they didn't spend any time together outside of working but their conversations had become friendly and comfortable. They avoided specific topics obviously, but otherwise their relationship was in a good place.

  
"You two busy today?" Eren asked as Krista hung up the phone.

"Not really, just the usual stuff, did Hitch call in sick again?" Levi asked.

It had become a regular thing for Hitch to call in sick, Eren was usually okay but since the success of his presentation he had more things piled up on him and it seemed as though Hitch was a terrible assistant, even when she did decide to show up. She called in sick regularly, took personal days and rarely finished her work on time. Eren had asked Levi to stand in for her a few times when the work piled up.

"Yeah she did. Do you think I could borrow you again?" Eren asked, with an adorable pleading look. If you looked hard enough you could see the slight pout to his lip. Levi held back the smile, Eren could always get anything he wanted from Levi with that look. Even without a look, Levi had always been wrapped around Eren's little finger. He would have done anything for the younger man, he still would.

  
"Of course you can" Krista chimed in, "It's 10 am and Levi has almost everything finished for the day, I can't even keep up with him, if he doesn’t leave I'm not going to have anything to do all day. Honestly, I think he's too smart for this job" She laughed.

Eren laughed with her, "I'm not surprised. One day with me and he finishes weeks of Hitch's backed up work and put her ahead another one." He said Levi glared at them both, a dark blush on his face.

"And he's so adorable, can’t take a compliment to save his life. Covers it with mean looks and grumpy attitude, but he's a precious little baby isn’t he, damn if I could look that young in 10 years." Krista giggled.

"I'm right here." Levi grumbled

"My dad thought he was in high school when I brought him home, he was afraid I was dating a minor." Eren laughed loudly, though he must have realized what he said because he stopped laughing. He didn’t look hurt and sad like he used to when their past relationship was brought up but it was still a subject they didn't like to bring up.

"Yeah I get that a lot, shall we go?" Levi tried to keep the atmosphere positive, it hurt to see Eren unhappy, especially when he knew he caused it. If things had been different maybe they would still be together, but Eren would have settled and as much as it hurt to see Eren unhappy and hurt not to be with him, he couldn't have allowed Eren to give up his dream.

"Yeah, let's go." Eren said with a small, almost grateful smile as the two made their way up to Eren's office.

 

 

 

\--------------------Flashback-------------------

 

_Levi was cuddled into Eren's side with an arm snug around his back as they sat on the couch watching some movie Levi couldn't pretend to pay attention to._

_Instead he was staring up at his boyfriend. They had been dating almost a month at this point and even with such a horrible start with their first date, everything was amazing. They just fell together, they were so comfortable around each other, they wanted to be with each other every possible moment._

_Eren spent most days at Levi's apartment, he insisted he loved the small run down apartment, it was cozy and the cleanest place Eren had ever seen. Besides he still lived with his parents, there was more privacy here. They didn't even have to do anything other than be together, often Eren would bring his books and study for hours while Levi read a book nearby or cleaned the apartment. They just wanted to be together._

  
_"What is it?" Eren asked, snapping Levi out of his daydream._

_"Hmm? Oh nothing" Levi said blushing at being caught and nuzzling his head back into Eren's chest._

_"Tell me. Do I have something on my face?" Eren asked._

_"No" Levi said simply._

_"Then what is it? It's not like you to hold back what's on your mind" Eren insisted._

_"I just—You're just really beautiful." Levi said, heat radiating from his cheeks as Eren's face broke out into a big grin_

_"You think so?" He asked, making Levi glare._

_"Of course you little shit. How could I not with your giant ocean filled eyes and sunshine of a smile" He growled making Eren laugh._

_"You know you're adorable when you're flustered." Eren said as he leaned down to capture Levi's lips in a sweet kiss._

_"I don’t know what you're talking about. I am manly as hell." Levi glared at his boyfriend when they parted._

_"You are, but you're also adorable and breathtakingly gorgeous." Eren said giving him small kisses between words._

_Levi scoffed "Yeah the grumpy midget with the resting bitch face" he grumbled._

_"Aww, I love your bitch face and your size, you're so tiny, you fit so perfectly in my arms I never want to let you go. You're so adorable yet intimidating at the same time. You can kick anyone's ass and they know it. I love everything about you Levi" Eren said, getting serious at the end._

_Levi looked up at him timidly, "You do?" He whispered._

_Eren nodded, "I love you Levi. I know it hasn’t been very long but I can’t help it. You don't have to say anything I just thought you should know." Eren rambled nervously._

_Levi's lips were on his almost instantly, crawling into Eren's lap for better access he kissed him passionately, Eren holding him tightly, deepening the kiss._

_"I love you too" He said in laboured breaths, staring into Eren's beautiful eyes._

_Eren smiled, a smile of pure love and affection with a hint of relief as he pulled Levi into him again._

 

\--------------End of Flashback------------------

 

 

 

Levi enjoyed working as Eren's assistant.

The job itself was similar to his reception position but it was more focused, there were less distractions and other tasks. As a receptionist you must answer and direct phone calls, greet whoever came through the lobby, help everyone with anything they needed all while doing the rest of the work you were obligated to do. Levi excelled at it but he still liked the quietness and focus that was working as an assistant.

Levi had been working for a couple hours, he needed very little direction from Eren at this point, he knew what to do and how to do it without questions.

"Hey, it's time for lunch. Would you like to join me?" Eren asked, popping his head out of his office.

"Sure, Let me just finish up" Levi said. Eren smiled and went back into his office.

  
A few minutes late they were both in Eren's office, unwrapping their packed lunches. "I'm sorry, you probably wanted to eat somewhere else." Eren said.

"No, this is fine. I usually eat alone, sometimes with Hange or Krista." Levi said with a reassuring smile.

"You know I've been here for six months and I haven't run into Hange since my first day." Eren said.

"Oh yeah, she's absolutely crazy, buried in her research, she rarely comes up for air" Levi said.

"She didn’t seem all that happy to see me, kind of ran away as soon as she said Hello." Eren said.

"It wasn't that, Hange loves you, she was just worried about me." Levi kicked himself when the words slipped, unable to take them back.

"Yeah I guess you were as surprised as I was." Eren chuckled half halfheartedly.

"Anyway, there was a reason I wanted to have lunch with you. Levi, how would you feel about being my assistant full time?" Eren asked.

Levi looked up in surprise "What about Hitch?" He asked

"I've given her so many chances, after the incident with the presentation I spoke with her told her she had one more to prove herself and she hasn't. I'm giving her two weeks notice tomorrow when she comes in whether you take the job or not. But I really hope you do." Eren explained.

"Am I qualified?" Levi asked still in shock.

"It doesn't matter, you are the best person for the job." Eren said "Plus there's a substantial pay raise" Eren added.

"This isn't charity is it? I can get by just fine on my current salary." Levi said, giving Eren a look.

"No, of course not." Eren chuckled. "I know how much you hate that. You've always been a hard worker and you've already helped me so much since I've been here. I think we'll both do very well as a team." He insisted.

"Okay. Yeah, I'll take it" Levi said with a smile, this was definitely something he could be proud of.

 

 

 

 

"I can't believe you're leaving. Like I'm so happy for you but I'm going to miss you!" Krista said hugging Levi as he packed his personal things from his desk.

"I'll only be upstairs" Levi said awkwardly. He didn’t mind the hug, he just didn’t know how to take it, plus he was feeling a little dizzy. Must be nerves.

"I know but still." Krista smiled

"Oh just in time!" Hange said skipping in through the door.

"For what?" Levi raised a brow.

"I want to see your new office, help you set up" She said excitedly.

"Why?" Levi groaned.

"Because my baby is all grown up and doing something he can be proud of!" Hange attacked him with a hug, causing him to growl.

"Just think, a few years ago you were working in a coffee shop, you thought you would never amount to anything, you were going no where, holding Eren ba---" Hange stopped abruptly, realizing what she had said.

Levi watched Krista's eyebrows raise at the statement, obviously catching the slip.

"Now look at you, assistant to the executive. I always knew you would be great" Hange added hastily.

"Thanks" He said not meeting either of their eyes, "Let's go. I'll see you later Krista, and thanks for everything" He said with a small smile.

"No problem, I'll see you around" She said sweetly as Levi and Hange made their way to the elevator.

"Hey, you feeling okay? You look pale. More so than usual." Hange said when they were in the elevator.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little nervous I guess." Levi said, Hange nodded.

"Are you going to be okay working with Eren?" She asked.

"We have worked together before." Levi said.

"Yeah, but for short periods of time. This is going to be all day everyday." Hange said.

"We’ve been doing really well, we're friends. Everything else in is the past." Levi assured her.

"I know you have and I'm proud of you both for it but I know you still love him." She said.

"Of course I still love him, but I broke his heart. He deserves so much more than me. This work relationship is good, it works. We're finally in a place where we can be together without our past weighing down on us." Levi said as they stepped off the elevator and walked towards Levi's new office.

 

"You sure you're okay? You don’t look well" Hange said leaning down to inspect him.

"I'm fine. Just a little off" Levi insisted.

 

"Levi! You're here, great!" Eren said walking in with a big smile, "Excited for your first day? Oh hey Hange!" He said surprised to see her.

"Eren! How have I not seen you since you started?" Hange jumped up to hug him.

"I don’t know, I figured you hated me" Eren said though was only half joking.

 

"What? Never! How could I ever hate one of my babies, especially after how we met." Hange laughed loudly.

Eren cleared his throat uncomfortably, "Yes well, it was memorable." He glanced at Levi who was looking at the floor awkwardly.

"Well anyway, I have to get to work, I’ll see you around Eren, we'll have to catch up soon." Hange grinned.

"Definitely" Eren smiles as Hange scurried away.

 

  
"So Hitch did practically nothing since her notice so you'll have some catching up to do, but I know you'll be fine." Eren smiled.

"Yeah, no trouble. I’ll get started" Levi said, stretching the collar of his shirt slightly. Was it warm? Levi never felt warm, but he had a light sheen of sweat on his skin.

"Hey, you alright?" Eren asked.

"Yes, I'm fine" Levi said giving a reassuring smile. Eren gave him a look, one that said he knew he was lying, though he didn't press.

"Okay, I'll be in my office if you need anything." He said, Levi nodded.

"Great, thanks Boss." He said before sitting to his desk and getting started.

He was definitely not well, he fought through it for a couple hours, cleaning up the mess that Hitch left for him. Though his vision had begun to blur, his tie constricting his breathing and his eyes heavy.

 

 

 

\----------------------Flashback---------------------

 

_Levi moaned loudly as he rocked his body against Eren's, sitting on the larger man's lap. Eren's fingers gripping his tiny waist tightly, lifting him up and down onto his straining erection._

_"So beautiful Levi, So good. You feel amazing" Eren groaned, thrusting up into Levi, making him whimper in pleasure._

_"You're amazing. I'm so full" he whispered, capturing Eren's lips with his own._

_"I love you. I love you so much" Eren whispered between kisses "I love you too. So fucking much." Levi gasped holding himself close to Eren's chest as he rode him, quickening the pace._

  
_"Levi! Where is that cutie I can finally meet!" Hange screeched slamming open the door to Levi's apartment._

_"Hange! What the fuck!" Levi shouted as Eren quickly threw a blanket over them._

 

_Hange covered her mouth with her hand, though it didn't hide the giant grin that adorned her lips. "You invited me over" She said attempting to cover her giggles._

_"The one time you're fucking early!" Levi yelled, curling himself into Eren's arms._

_"I was excited!" Hange defended._

_"Would you mind taking that excitement outside?" Levi growled, a moan escaping him as Eren shifted slightly beneath him._

_Hange's smiled widened "Oh my god, you still have a dick in your ass don't you?" She giggled manically._

_"Get out!" Levi yelled, making her run back out of the apartment, laughing wildly._

_"She seems fun" Eren laughed and Levi buried his face in Eren's chest._

_"Lunatic, mood killer" he groaned._

_"I dunno" Eren grinned, thrusting his hips. Levi gasped loudly._

_"How are you still ready to go?" Levi managed through his quick breaths._

_"Because I have you on top of me" Eren grinned._

_Levi rolled his eyes but leaned down to kiss him passionately as he began rocking his hips again._

 

 

\--------------Flashback Two---------------------

 

_"Don't be so nervous, they're going to love you." Eren said lacing his fingers through Levi's, leaning down for a gentle kiss as they stood on the doorstep to Eren's home._

_"You don't know that, I'm a nearly 30 year old deadbeat barista who grew up in the slums with an Uncle who did shady business, who's fucking their magnificent, genius of a son,_ who _is so amazing and beautiful that he could have whoever he wanted." Levi rambled nervously._

_Eren turned Levi towards him, lifting his chin so Levi met his eyes, "You are perfect. I love you, I don't want anyone else". He said lovingly._

_Levi blushed "You're an idiot" He said, embarrassment evident in his voice._

_Eren laughed, eyes filled with affection._

_"_ _I_ _love you" Levi whispered, standing on his toes as Eren leaned down to kiss him again._

  
_"Are you two going to come in or make out on the porch all evening." Mikasa said in her usual bored tone._

_"Nice to see you again Mikasa" Levi said, wiping his mouth and standing up straight as Eren chuckled._

_"Mmhm" Mikasa said with her arms crossed and face blank._

_Contrary to how it looked, she had been warming up to Levi, she was just over protective of her adopted brother._

  
_Eren led him into the house. It was huge! He knew Eren's father owned a business and they were well off but he had no idea it was to this extent. Eren squeezed his hand, sensing his nervousness._

_"Mom, Dad" Eren called as they walked into the kitchen where his parents were. "I'd like you to meet my boyfriend, Levi Ackerman." He said proudly._

 

_His mother turned to them with a big smile, she was a beautiful woman, an older feminine version of Eren. "It's so good to finally meet you, Eren talks about you non-stop!" She said getting up to hug him._

_"Same to you Mrs. Jaegar." Levi said politely._

_"Oh, call me Carla" She smiled sweetly, as Grisha pulled Eren in close._

_"Eren, You know you're of age now. I'm not saying you can't date him but you have to be careful when dating minors. Is he in high school?" Grisha whispered, though not as quietly as he may have thought._

_Eren let out a laugh. "Dad, Levi is nearly 29." He said with a smile._

_Shock plastered Eren's parent's faces. Levi tensed, he knew Eren hadn’t told them how old he was, he wanted to wait until they knew how Eren felt about him. But he was so much older than him, his parents weren't going to approve of him. He was going to lose Eren. Ironically for the same reason he almost never took a chance on him in the first place._

_"Holy crap! Can I harness that and take some for myself?" Carla laughed with a big grin. Levi stared at her for a moment before relaxing slightly._

_"What are you talking about, You're gorgeous" he said with a shy smile._

_"_ _Oh Eren, he's adorable!" She said hugging Levi again, "Come sit, I want to get to know the man that has stolen my baby's heart" She said leading him to the sitting area._

 

\---------------------End of Flashbacks------------------

 

 

 

 

Levi woke up feeling disoriented, he didn't remember falling asleep, he could only remember the happy memories he had dreamed about, the scent that was all around him and the warmth he was curled up against.

"What the fuck?" He groaned sitting up as his head exploded in pain, "Fucking cocksucker!" He exclaimed grabbing his head.

 

"Ahh, there's that potty mouth I remember. You really hold back at work huh?" Eren said with amusement in his voice.

That's when Levi realized he was in a bed, an extremely comfortable bed in a dark room and Eren was leaning against the headboard working away on his laptop. Levi blushed when he realized he had been cuddled into Eren's side.

"What happened?" Levi asked.

"I came out around 11 to ask you for a document. You were incoherent, you printed it but when you went to grab it off the printer you passed the fuck out" Eren said, a hint of anger in his voice.

"I'm so sorry, That was unprofessional of me, It won't happen again" Levi said timidly.

 

"Do you think I'm upset because you were unable to do your job?" Eren asked with wide eyes, damn that kid could still read him like a book, he looked away ashamed.

Eren moved Levi's chin with his finger so he was looking into his eyes again. "I would never be upset with anyone for being sick. I'm upset because you came to work with a fever of 104!" Eren said, worry in his voice Levi looked away again and Eren sighed.

"Levi, you have to take care of yourself!" He said.

"I'm sorry. I just.. You hired me because Hitch kept calling in sick. It was my first day." Levi explained.

"Hitch called in all the time, she didn't do her work, I couldn't depend on her. If you're actually sick there is nothing wrong with staying home to get better. I know how hard you work. I know you would never stay home if you didn’t need to." Eren said

"Thanks" Levi said quietly.

"Of course," Eren said gently.

Levi held his head again as the pain pulsed.

"Here, take these and go back to sleep. You still have a fever" Eren said feeling Levi's forehead and neck before reaching to the nightstand for pills and water. Levi nodded, taking them before laying back down.

  
Levi woke a few hours later, somehow he had migrated back towards Eren in his sleep, his head on his chest, Eren's arm around his back. He felt so comfortable, so right. He felt complete, as though the piece that had been missing the past four years had been filled once again.

But it hadn't, it wasn't real.

Levi felt the tears fall as he looked up at Eren's sleeping face. He was so beautiful, it hurt. It hurt so much to be so close to him when he wasn't his. He tightened his grip, laying his head back down on Eren's chest, enjoying the time while it lasted.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> Please tell me what you think. Comments and Kudos make my day!
> 
> You guys are awesome!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit: So I subscribe to my own work just to verify the email notification goes out to subscribers. I posted this yesterday but there was no email. I'm also almost finished the next chapter, probably be posting it tonight, it's super important to read this one first so I figured I would post it again just to be sure anyone who was following it and wanted to read it got the chance (Sorry for faking anyone out who already read it)  
> \------------  
> Original notes: So I kind of just stared at this last night for a while, unsure of how to write it. I did finally get a flow and I hope it turned out okay.  
> I'm at a bit of a loss of where to go from here. I have the next scene figured out but after that I'm not sure. I guess I'll stare at my computer again until something comes to me. Imaginations are fun!
> 
> There's probably not much left to this story. One or two more chapters maybe (Although if I get enough inspiration who knows how long it will be) Though I'm hoping to have it all finished by Thursday since I've been doing almost daily updates and I'm going on a trip Friday ((Super pumped!)) so if it's not finished then there will be probably be at least a week gap. We'll see what happens .
> 
> Please enjoy!!

 

 

Levi must have fallen asleep again because when he woke up we was still cuddled into Eren's side, head rested on his chest and a fingers combing through his hair soothingly.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Eren asked as Levi stirred.

Levi looked up at him, heart clenching at the affection that stared down at him from those beautiful eyes. "Better, thank you" He said quietly, sitting up.

"Good, you fever finally broke overnight." Eren said.

"I'm sorry for burdening you." Levi whispered.

"Don't! You're never a burden! You were sick, someone had to take care of you." Eren exclaimed.

"So you nurse all your assistants back to health?" Levi gave a shy grin, Eren rolled his eyes.

"Obviously not. I care about you Levi. Just because we didn’t work out doesn’t mean I feel nothing for you. I know we don’t talk about it but you were very special to me once, I will always care for you." Eren said.

Levi's lip trembled as he listened to Eren's words. "I care about you too" He whispered, fighting the tears that were building in his eyes.

Eren's eyes looked a little glassy as well as he pulled the smaller man into a hug, laughing lightly "God we're hopeless. We are friends now, we've finally reached a good place and I like it. No more of this sad shit" Eren smiled.

Levi nodded, pulling away "You're right" Levi smiled.

"Well I'm starving. You must be too, how about breakfast?" Eren said getting up.

"Perfect" Levi said following him.

 

 

 

 

Life went on. Levi worked hard at his new job.

He loved it; preparing documents, scheduling meetings, writing minutes. Doing anything and everything required of an assistant. He felt proud of himself, something that didn't happen to him.

He had always felt like he was standing still in his life, going nowhere. Now he was finally accomplishing something, and doing it for Eren. He had wanted nothing more than to make Eren proud of him, do something with his life worthy of the amazing younger man.

Too bad Eren was no longer his to impress.

 

They went back to avoiding any topic relating to their previous relationship, speaking only of work or anything non-romantic, completely ignoring the incident at Eren's apartment.

It worked for them, they had become fairly close, they still didn't speak to each other outside of work unless it was work related but in the office they would talk and joke with each other throughout the day.

It was nice, Levi loved that he had Eren back, even if only partially. The only problem was, the love he had suppressed in their time apart and fought since they had been reunited had grown back in full force. He had never stopped loving him, not for a moment. Not even when he broke up with him, hell he broke up with him because he loved him so much.

He broke his own heart and it never healed. Now he was in a good working friendship with the love of his life, trying to ignore the excruciating pain in his chest whenever his beautiful boss was near him.

  
"Hey Levi?" Eren said coming out of his office.

"Hey Eren?" Levi said looking up with a small smirk.

Eren rolled his eyes at Levi's banter, though his smile was clearly present. "So you know those parties my dad always had for the company..." He said.

"Yeah." Levi's face fell.

 

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Eren said noticing the change. "I hate to do this to you, but there's another one in a couple weeks and since you're my assistant now you're kind of required to go." Eren said chewing on his lip, adorably.

"No, it's fine. It's part of the job, my personal preference is of no consequence." Levi said. 

"Professional as always, it won’t be so bad. You're awesome at your job." Eren smiled.

Levi felt his cheeks heat up as he looked back at his computer in a huff, Eren retreating back into his office with a laugh.

 

 

 

\-----------------Flashback------------------

 

_"Did I really have to wear a tux?" Levi grumbled walking into Eren's bedroom smoothing out his jacket._

_He looked up, jaw dropping at the sight of his tall, slender boyfriend looking ravaging in his sleek black tux and slicked back hair. It accentuated his broad shoulders and slim waist, bringing out his big ocean green eyes and sharp jaw._

_He was gorgeous, he was always gorgeous but right now he was delectable._

 

_"Yes Levi, you really need to and damn, even if you didn't. You look gorgeous." Eren smiled pulling Levi into him._

_"Have you seen yourself you damn brat!" Levi grumbled before Eren chuckled and brought their lips together in a sweet kiss that quickly deepened._

_"As much as I’d love to, don't we need to get down there? You're an actual guest to this one, not just your father's son. Hence the monkey suits" Levi said pushing him away gently._

_Eren groaned, "You're right, but as soon as this is over your ass is mine!" He growled playfully._

_"We'll see" Levi grinned, walking towards the door, letting out a yelp as Eren pinched his ass on the way out with a big smile._

 

  
_"Levi, you look dashing!" Carla said walking over and giving him a kiss on the cheek._

_"Thank you Carla, you look beautiful as always" Levi said smiling affectionately at the older woman._

 

_The past two years had been the best of Levi's life, not only did he have an amazing boyfriend who he was absolutely head over heels for but Eren's family had accepted him like their own. He had never had a real family. His mother loved him and gave him everything she could but had died when he was young. His uncle did his best raising him but left a lot to be desired._

_Eren's parents and even Mikasa had welcomed him and treated him like a member of the family from the beginning._

 

_"Hello boys, looking sharp" Grisha said walking up to link arms with his wife as Eren linked his own arm with Levi's._

_"Thank you for the Tuxedo Sir." Levi said politely._

_"Of course" Grisha smiled, turning to Eren_

_"Eren, I have some people I'd like you to speak with" He said._

_"Sure thing." Eren said as the group moved through the crowd._

 

_Eren was a pro, the way he spoke with these important businessmen, keeping up with them on every topic, bringing up his own. Levi could see how impressed everyone was of him, especially his father. It made Levi's heart swell with pride to know others could see how amazing his boyfriend was._

_He had been to these parties before, there was one every few months, either hosted by the Jaegar's or some other well off family in the circle. Levi didn't mind them for the most part, he wasn't great with crowds but Eren never let go of him, never forgot about him. He felt safe, even when people started asking about him. He hated having to tell people he had no education and worked in a coffee shop._

_Some wrinkled their nose when he didn't know how to answer their questions, or when he told them where he grew up or where he lived now. Some gave him sympathetic looks and others ignored him completely. He knew he made Eren look bad and he hated himself for it, but Eren would just give him a reassuring squeeze of his hand or a kiss to the top of his head._

 

_It was a long night, but they were finally free, laying in Eren's bed dressed only in boxers. Levi laying on his back with his eyes closed while Eren traced imaginary shapes onto his stomach._

_"Thank you for coming with me, I know how much you hate these parties." He said._

_"It's not that I hate them, I just don’t fit in." Levi said._

_"What do you mean? You fit in as well as I do and you look damn fine in a tux." Eren grinned playfully._

 

_"Eren you were born for these things. You talk to everyone with ease, you’re so charismatic and intelligent, everyone who speaks to you loves you. I'm a joke! I'm a 30 year old Barista. I'm poor, uneducated and going nowhere with my life. I'm grumpy and short and I can’t speak to important people without messing up. Honestly the only thing I have going for me is you, and for the life of me I still can’t understand how I managed that." Levi explained, curling himself into Eren's arms._

_"Levi, none of that matters! You know I don’t care about what you do or where you've lived. It doesn't matter that you never went to college, even without it you're one of the smartest people I know. You're beautiful and funny and amazing! Fuck those people! I love you, with everything I am, I want to marry you!" Eren exclaimed._

 

_Levi sat up, staring at him with wide eyes, "D-did you just propose?" He stammered._

_"Aw fuck, I had the whole thing planned, I was going to ask you on our anniversary in a couple weeks but God I love you so much I can't wait anymore." Eren said sitting up and reaching into his night table, pulling out a small box making Levi let out a shaky breath._

_"Levi, my time with you has been the best of my life, I love you with every fibre of my being and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?" Eren asked, opening the box to show a very simple yet elegant white gold engagement ring._

_Levi had covered his mouth with his hand, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. "Are you sure?" He squeaked, making Eren's almost nervous face break out into a grin._

_"Only you would ask that. Of course I'm sure!" He laughed._

_Levi climbed onto Eren's lap, pulling him into a passionate kiss "I love you so much" he said looking into his eyes with sincerity and undying love._

_"So is that a..." Eren laughed when Levi hit him playfully._

_"Yes you idiot! Yes I'll marry you" He said, the tears finally falling at the overwhelming happiness he felt as Eren connected their lips once again in a deep heated kiss._

 

\------------------------End of Flashback---------------

 

 

 

"Calm down, it's just a work party." Hange scolded quietly as they walked into the familiar house.

"I'm not good at parties." Levi said, he wanted to throw up, the anxiety of mingling with these people along with the added anxiety of doing it without the reassuring squeeze of Eren's hand in his.

  
Petra moved to his side, linking arms with him "But now you're a professional assistant to an important executive of a major company!" She said, Levi gave her a thankful smile.

"Come on hotshot. Let's mingle!" Hange said taking his other arm and pulling them into the crowd.

  
Hange made it easier, she wasn't as posh as most people here but she was so exuberant and ridiculously smart that everyone loved her anyway.

She made a point of introducing Levi, bragging about his position as Eren's assistant. She had let go of him in her excitement, though thankfully Petra stayed by his side, sensing his need for her.

 

  
"Levi?" He heard a familiar voice behind him, turning to look he watched as Eren's mother walked towards him with a smile on her face.

"Mrs. Jaegar, you look as beautiful as ever!" Levi said nervously.

"Now don't start that again, it took months for you to finally call me Carla, you are not reverting back to that now!" She said with a playful frown, eyes flickering to Petra who was smiling politely.

"I'll try to remember, this is Petra Ral, Petra this is Carla Jaegar, my Boss' mother." Levi said.

"It's a pleasure to meet you" Petra said politely shaking her hand.

"Same to you darling. Oh my Levi she is gorgeous, you too make a lovely couple" Carla said, her smile was polite but her eyes seemed unhappy.

"Oh, no We're no--"Levi began but was cut off when Hange jumped in.

"She's my lady." She grinned, Carla's face brightening once again.

"Hange! It's so good to see you again!" She exclaimed.

"Same to you Mrs. J! Been ages!" Hange laughed.

"It has! There hasn't been nearly enough excitement since you stopped coming around." Carla laughed, looking over to Levi fondly.

"Well you know me! I'm sorry, I really need to go speak with Mr. Shadis, mind if I steal my date?" Hange asked.

"Of course, I'll keep Levi company, we have some catching up to do" Carla smiled taking Levi's arm. Hange nodded with a smile before pulling Petra away.

 

 

"It's so good to see you Levi, We've really missed you" Carla said as they began walking around.

"I missed you too" Levi said truthfully.

"Eren has told me what an amazing assistant you are, so hard working, he said he's be lost without you. I am so proud of you" She gave him a little squeeze.

"T-thank you. That really means a lot to me" Levi said, heart aching for his family.

"You know Eren is proud of you too" She smiled and Levi gave a small, shy smile as he fought the overwhelming emotions that were brewing.

"Mom! What are you saying to him" Eren called out walking up to them quickly.

 

"Oh just catching up. I was telling him that the few people you actually have brought home the last few years haven't been half as good as him and he needs to hurry up and woo you!" Carla lied with a smirk

 

"That's a shame, because Eren deserves the best" Levi added quietly, glancing up at Eren's sad eyes.

"Mom" He groaned.

"I'm only joking. Partially. We were just saying Hello." Carla laughed.

"Okay, mind if I steal my assistant then, I have some people to introduce him to." Eren asked.

"Of course." Carla shrugged, "We'll have to sit down for some tea sometime soon, I'd like to catch up for real" She smiled kissing his cheek.

"That would be lovely" Levi smiled sadly before Eren led him away.

 

Eren introduced him proudly to his associates, speaking of all Levi had been doing for him.

"So, Mr. Ackerman, where have you worked in the past?" One of the men asked him.

 

"Oh, um. I used to work at Survey Café" Levi said nervously, brows were raised in skepticism.

"You have no business experience?" Another asked.

"No, this is my first office position, I recently graduated." Levi said timidly.

"Ahh, where did you get your degree?"

"I-I have a diploma from the community college." He said, no longer meeting their eyes, he still didn't fit in, he was still no better than the 30 year old Barista that he had been four years ago.

"Levi is the best assistant in the building, he has more than proved that he is qualified for the position and the best person for the job!" Eren cut in forcefully.

Levi's mind blanked when he was no longer required to speak, he would never be good enough for these people.

It wasn't so bad when he had Eren but without Eren on his arm he was nothing.

At least he wasn't holding him back anymore...

 

 

 

 

\------------------Flashback------------------

 

_"Didn't we go to one of these like two weeks ago?" Levi groaned as they stepped out of Eren's car, heading into another mansion, equally as large, if not larger than the one belonging to Eren's parents._

_"That was work, this is school... and work" Eren said taking his fiance's hand and kissing it._

_"You're lucky you're cute Kid." Levi glared playfully as Eren beamed happily._

 

_Eren led Levi throughout the party, speaking to many groups, some students, some teachers, some businessmen. Levi recognized some from the previous parties._

_They soon found Eren's parents who pulled them over to a group of people._

_"This is my son, Eren and his fiance Levi, they were recently engaged." Grisha introduced with a smile._

_"Congratulations." The man said with a thick German accent, holding out a hand to shake._

_"Thank you sir. We are very excited" Eren smiled brightly._

_"Mr. Vogel is the Dean of the school in Germany." Grisha introduced._

_"We are looking forward to your attendance. A student record such as yours will be an asset to our school." Mr. Vogel said, his English harsh with his accent._

_"Thank you sir, I appreciate the welcome, however I haven't quite decided on my attendance." Eren said politely._

_Grisha frowned with surprise, "Of course he is, what a sense of humor!" He laughed loudly, easing the German man. Eren remained quiet as they continued the conversation._

 

 

 

_It was a long party, Levi was extremely happy to get home to his shitty apartment where he and Eren slipped out of their formal clothes and crawled into bed._

_"Why didn't you tell me you were going to school in Germany?" Levi asked cuddling into Eren's broad chest._

_"Because I'm not going." Eren said simply with a shrug, running his fingers through Levi's hair._

_"Why not? Isn't it like the best school in the world?" Levi asked looking up at him._

_"It's not a big deal." Eren said._

_"Yes it is a big deal! It's been your dream to go there! To live in German, get to know where you come from. You told me on our first date!" Levi exclaimed._

_"I have a new dream now." Eren smiled pulling Levi into a kiss._

_"Are you staying because of me?" Levi asked quietly._

_"It doesn't matter why I'm staying. All that matters is that I'm staying, I'll finish my schooling nearby, there are plenty of great schools here and I'm going to marry you." Eren said kissing his way down Levi's chin and neck._

_"I'd wait for you, you know that." Levi insisted._

_"I don't want to wait. I want to stay here with you. Can we drop it please?" Eren asked and Levi nodded sadly, tucking his head back under Eren's chin._

 

  
_Eren was staying home for him. He was giving up his dream for him._

_Levi couldn’t allow Eren to do that. He had been dreaming of going there since he was a child, Living in Germany, exploring the place where his great grandparents lived, learning the culture, immersing himself in the language. Eren hadn't shut up about since they met._

_Though he had, hadn't he. Levi hadn't realized it at the time but Eren hadn't been talking about it for a while, months even. It was because of him. Because they were in love and getting married Eren was going to disrupt his entire life plan._

_He couldn't let him do that, he couldn't be the one to stand in the way of Eren's future. Eren had such a bright future, he could be anything he could ever want to be, Levi couldn't be the one holding him back, he loved him too much to do that to him. He knew in that moment what he had to do, he wasn't sure he'd survive it, but he would do it for Eren. Anything for Eren._

_Even break his own heart._

 

_Levi wrapped his arms around Eren's neck, pulling the larger man close, holding him as tightly as he could, kissing him with every ounce of love and passion he felt for him._

_Moving his body against Eren's desperately, "Make love to me" he said in a breathy whisper, as Eren growled in approval._

  
_Their remaining clothes were shed, kisses placed to every inch of exposed skin that could be reached. After preparing him, Eren thrust into Levi slowly. The gradual build up of pressure, Eren's thick arousal scraping his insides, hitting his prostate with every thrust._

_"Why are you crying?" Eren asked suddenly, looking down at Levi's face with worry and tenderness, wiping the tears Levi didn’t realize had fallen._

_"I-I just. I love you so much" Levi said with a choked sob, pulling Eren down for another desperate kiss._

_Eren smiled into the kiss "I love you too babe."_

 

\------------------End of Flashback---------------------

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to keep going and have the Eren finds out why conversation, but I figured I'd leave it there, let you stew in the sadness a little since I'm a horrible person :)
> 
> Thank you for reading, i hope you liked it!
> 
> Please let me know! I love hearing from you!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was planning on posting this earlier as I wrote half of it last night, but then I got caught up in cleaning (you do one thing you have to keep going until everything is done!) I have a slight OCD for cleaning I think.
> 
> Anyway, here it is! I really hope you like it! (I haven't really reviewed it so I apologize in advance if there are any errors)
> 
> Please enjoy!

 

 

Levi couldn’t handle the party; the stuffy atmosphere, the condescending people, and worst of all the lack of Eren's reassuring touches.

Sure Eren stood up for him and praised his work endlessly, but without his arm linked with Eren's the discreet kisses on his hair and just the warmth of Eren's body closed to him Levi was feeling overwhelmed.

Eren had been in a seemingly intense conversation in German with an overseas associate when Levi managed to sneak away, mentioning something about the restroom.

He wasn't sure how he ended up in Eren's old room, muscle memory he assumed. Not that they spent a lot of time at Eren's home when they were together, they enjoyed the cozy privacy of Levi's apartment, but they had spent enough time there for it to be nostalgic for him.

  
He looked around the room, it was exactly the same as the last time he was in it, minus the few pictures of the two of them Eren used to have scattered around the room. It hurt to think of Eren taking them down, throwing them out, crying over Levi.

Levi hadn't deserved his tears.

  
He didn’t realize he was doing it until he was sitting on the bed, opening the familiar nightstand drawer. Inside he found a picture frame, pulling it out to find Eren's favourite picture. It was the one he used as the background on his phone, the one that sat in the frame next to his bed.

The selfie Eren took of the two of them about a year into their relationship. Eren was smiling brightly as per usual, his arm around Levi who was also sporting a rather happy smile. Sure Levi smiled all the time for Eren, but this had been one of the only times it had been caught on camera.

Levi stared at it, losing himself in memories.

 

 

 

\------------------Flashback----------------

 

_"Levi, what’s wrong? Are you okay?" Eren asked as Levi walked into Eren's bedroom, trembling slightly._

_Eren wrapped his arms around him, leading him to sit on the bed. Levi held him tight, resting his head on Eren's chest. "How was your exam?" Levi asked, ignoring Eren's question because no, he wasn't okay._

_"It was great, I killed it!" Eren grinned, running his bands over Levi's back._

_"Good, I knew you would. That was your last one right?" Levi asked, trying to calm his shaky voice._

_"Yep, I am all yours for the summer." Eren said happily before leaning in to kiss his fiance, Levi held his face so he couldn’t pull away yet, savouring the feel of Eren's soft lips moving against his own._

_Eren looked into Levi's eyes quizzically when they parted "Are you sure you're okay?" He asked, Levi shook his head._

_"Eren, we need to t-talk" Levi choked out, his throat suddenly dry._

 

_"What's up?" Eren looked worried but smiled reassuringly at the petite man._

_"A-are you going to Germany?" Levi asked._

_"I already told you, no, I can finish my education here." Eren said and Levi nodded, taking a deep breath._

  
_"Eren, I can’t do this anymore." Levi said, willing himself to stay calm, hoping that the one time he needed his resting bitch face it didn't fail him._

_"Do what?" Eren asked innocently._

_"This... Us..." Levi said, unable to make a full sentence._

_Eren's eyes widened in confusion, "What are you talking about?" He asked._

_"We can't be together anymore." Levi couldn't meet his eyes._

_"What? Levi, we're getting married!" Eren said._

_"No Eren, we're not. I c-can't marry you." Levi was finding it increasingly difficult to hold back his tears._

_"What?! Why not!?" Eren yelled, tears beginning to fall from his beautiful green eyes._

_"I-I can't. I d-don't... want to." Levi lied, looking down at the ring on his finger before slipping it off._

_"Levi, you don't mean that. I know you don’t, you're shaking!" Eren said pulling Levi into a tight embrace._

_"I do." Levi said using all the strength he could muster to pull himself away from Eren's arms, laying his engagement ring on the nightstand._

_"Levi. I love you!" Eren sobbed, tears streaming down his face, eyes full of desperation, face full of heartbreak._

_"I'm sorry." Levi whispered before taking off out of the room, leaving Eren's desperate cries behind him._

  
_He ran, he had to get out of the house as fast as he could. His vision blurry through his tears, but he kept going._

_"Levi? What's wrong?" A worried Carla called out, he didn't stop, he couldn't. He kept going until he was outside, climbing into Hange's waiting car._

_"Where's Eren?" She asked._

_"Just go!" Levi sobbed._

_"Levi, what happened?" Hange gasped._

_"Please, just go" Levi whispered, burying his face in his hands as he cried harder than he ever had._

\----------------------End of Flashback-----------------

 

 

 

Levi was brought out of his thought by a knock on the door. He looked over in surprise, finding Eren leaning on the door frame, watching him, sadness in his eyes.

"I figured I would find you here." He smiled, walking towards him.

"Eren, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have--" Eren cut him off with a wave.

"It's fine." He said sitting on the bed beside Levi, taking the picture out of Levi's hand gently.

 

"This was my favorite picture of us. You looked so happy." He said, his smile was sad, reminiscent of happy times.

"I was happy." Levi whispered.

"I'm sorry I couldn't keep you that way." Eren said, voice wavering slightly.

"You did, I was deliriously happy the entire time we were together, you were the best thing that could have ever happened to me." Levi said looking at the younger man.

"Then why did you leave?" Eren looked at Levi with glassy eyes.

"I didn't want to hurt you" Levi said, body trembling as his own eyes filling up.

"You accepted my proposal and broke up with me not even a month later." He said bitterly, reaching into the open drawer, pulling out a small box, opening to reveal the small white gold ring Levi had had the honor of wearing for a short time.

 

"I'm so sorry" Levi said, a stray tear falling from his eye.

"I'm sorry I wasn't good enough for you" Eren whispered, the bitterness was gone, replaced by hurt.

"Don't say that! Don't ever say that, that is bullshit and you know it! You were perfect! You were so kind and gentle, you were so full of life, I had so much fun with you. You were so smart and determined, you managed to have top marks in school while still making time for me. I didn't deserve you. I was so proud of you, I am so proud of you, you're everything I knew you could be and more." Levi explained passionately.

"Then why did you leave?!" Eren asked again, voice raised and tears streaming down his face, pain consuming his eyes.

 

"I was holding you back." Levi whispered.

"How can you even say that?" Eren demanded.

"You were 21 years old, you had everything in front of you. I was a 30 year old deadbeat going nowhere. I wanted to marry you, God I wanted to marry you more than anything, to be with you forever. But you were giving up your dream for me. I couldn’t let you do that. I would have waited for you, I would have been here when you got back, but there was no way I was going to be the reason you didn't go. I couldn't stand in the way of your career, your dream. And look at you, you're heading a substantial branch of the company and you're doing a terrific job! You were better off without me" Levi sobbed as Eren pulled him into his arms, lifting him as though he were nothing more than a doll.

"I could never be better off without you" Eren sobbed, holding him tight as his lips captured Levi's in a searing kiss.

 

The buildup of years of heartbreak, missing the other so profoundly, the heartache of months of being so close without allowing themselves to give in, it all flowed through the kiss, erasing their minds of anything other than the man in their arms. Levi found himself pinned to the bed, becoming lightheaded due to the lack of air but remaining unable to care as he felt Eren's weight on him, the only man he had ever truly loved, the owner of his heart.

 

"Ahem." Carla cleared her throat as she stood in the doorway, knocking on the open door lightly. Eren pulled himself off of Levi and Levi sat up looking at Carla with wide eyes.

"Eren honey, your father is looking for you." She said with a look of worry mixed with happiness. Eren nodded, standing up.

"Thanks" he said walking towards the door, looking bewildered and out of it.

"Wash your face with some cold water before you go down" She said. He nodded again, walking out quickly.

Carla turned her eyes towards Levi, "You may want to wash your face as well" She said with a small smile.

"I. Um... C-could you tell Eren I had to leave, I'm not feeling well." Levi said, his stomach twisting and head racing at what just happened.

"Of course dear. Would you like me to call you a car?" She asked in her concerned motherly voice.

"No thanks. I think I'd like to walk" He said standing up.

She nodded "Alright. Be careful. I'll try to find Hange as well, let her know"

"Thank you" Levi said before making his way out the back way of the house so he wouldn’t be seen and walking to his apartment.

 

 

 

Levi was glad it was the weekend, he was glad he had a couple days to process what had happened and calm himself down.

He hadn’t heard from Eren, he didn't know if he should feel relieved for disappointed, either way he was not looking forward to seeing him on Monday.

He didn’t know where they stood, he didn't know what Eren wanted. Maybe Eren still loved him, maybe Eren was still too heartbroken that he never wanted to be with Levi again. Maybe Eren was as confused and overwhelmed as Levi was.

Whatever happened Levi would respect Eren's wishes, whatever he wanted, he would give to him. If he wanted to continue their working relationship like nothing had ever happened, if he wanted Levi transferred to another department, or fired completely, he would do whatever Eren asked of him.

 

 

 

Levi walked into the office on Monday morning, nodding to Krista, who smiled sweetly as always and made his way up to his office.

He always arrived 30 minutes or so before Eren, preparing everything his boss would need for the day.

His heart stopped when he heard the elevator ding,holding his breath as he glanced towards the doors, but rather than his beautiful young boss, a tall middle aged man with blond hair walked in. Levi stared as the man walked towards him.

"Mr. Ackerman?" He asked,

"Yes, can I help you?" Levi snapped out of it and stood up.

"Hannes." He greeted curtly. "Mr. Jaegar has taken some personal time, I am here to fill in during his absence." He said holding out a hand.

 

"Pleasure to meet you Sir" Levi said politely.

"I've heard great things about you, if you live up to Mr. Jaegar's praises it will be a pleasure working with you." Hannes said.

"Of course Sir, whatever you need just let me know." Levi said before Hannes headed into Eren's office.

Levi sat back down at his desk, again unsure if he felt relieved or disappointed over Eren's absence. His mind raced with every reason Eren could have possibly taken time off work. Maybe he regretted what happened, maybe he didn't want to see Levi again. He needed to calm down, Maybe Eren just needed some time to think. Maybe he was sick. It could be anything.

 

Levi threw himself into his work, doing everything Hannes had asked of him and more.

He refused to let himself dwell on Eren and that he hadn't contacted him yet. Eren needed time to process everything, he had just found out that his fiance did not leave him because he didn’t love him anymore, but because he did.

Levi hoped Eren realized how much Levi truly did love him, how he had only done it for him, as hard as it seemed to realize that. But he had hurt Eren, he could see on his face, feel in his kiss that Eren had been hurting as much as he had in their time apart, maybe Eren would never trust him again.

  
It was the fastest and slowest work week of Levi's life, the hours seemed to drag on but also flyby at the same time, Levi hoped his work didn't reflect his state of mind.

Finally he was packing up his things to go home on Friday afternoon, Hange coming up to meet him.

"Hey short stack, wanna hang out tonight?" She asked with a grin, though prevalent worry in her eyes. Levi had told her what happened, only the bare minimum but Hange could sense how consumed by it Levi was.

"I'd just like to go home." Levi said, he was tired; physically and emotionally drained.

"That's cool, I could come with if you like. We could hang out, watch movies, eat takeout" She offered.

"Where's Petra?" Levi asked.

"She's home, I'll invite her if you want, or it can just be the two of us" Hange offered.

"Invite her, it'll be fun. Just no talking about my personal life" Levi warned

"Deal!" She grinned again.

 

"Levi!" Hannes called as he walked out of the office with his coat on.

"Yes Sir? Do you need something" Levi asked.

"No nothing, I just wanted to let you know, it was a pleasure working with you this week, Eren wasn't kidding when he said you were a magnificent assistant." He said pleasantly.

"Thank you sir, it was a pleasure to work with you as well" Levi said with a smile as Hannes gave a nod before heading out of the office.

 

 

 

 

Hange, Levi and Petra spent the evening in their pyjamas, watching romantic comedies and eating junk food.

It was quite the girls night, Levi insisted he hated it, though truthfully he was grateful for his best friends. They knew exactly what he needed most of the time, they would talk when he needed to talk, sit quietly when he needed silence, He would have never gotten through breaking up with Eren without them.

There was a loud knock on the door, causing the three of them to look at each other in confusion.

"It's 1 am, who is at the door?" Hange asked.

"Did you invite Erwin?" Petra asked as the door banged again.

"He's on a business trip" Hange said.

"It's probably just the guy downstairs, we were pretty loud" Levi said getting up and making his way to the door that was still banging impatiently.

 

"Wha--" Levi swung the door open, his words and irritation lost at the sight before him; Eren looking dishevelled and tired, dressed in worn out jeans and a hoodie.

He looked young, like he had when they were together.

"Eren!" Levi said in surprise.

"Did I wake you?" Eren asked.

"No, I was up. Hange and Petra are over." Levi said, Eren nodded, obviously something on his mind.

"I need to talk to you" Eren said nervously.

"Of course, come in" Levi said stepping out of the way.

"I-I...is that my shirt?" Eren changed the subject suddenly eyeing the baggy and well work t-shirt Levi was wearing over his petite frame.

Levi blushed darkly, "Y-yeah, sorry I should have returned it." he said.

"No! it looks good on you." Eren insisted.

"What did you need to talk ab--" Levi began.

"I want to try again!" Eren interrupted Levi before he could finish his sentence. Levi took a sharp intake of breath, wide eyes staring at Eren.

 

"I thought about this a lot. Actually it's the only thing I could think of all week.... You broke my heart! I was devastated when you left me, it took me a long time until I was in a place that could be considered okay, but since you told me why you did it... I couldn’t understand why all this time you seemed to be as sad as I was. Being together seemed to hurt you as much as it did me, but you also couldn't seem to stay away." Eren said, looking deep into Levi's eyes.

Levi was crying, he seriously couldn't hold in his tears around this man; Eren brought out every raw emotion in him and stripped him bare.

  
"I thought you stopped loving me, and I couldn’t figure out why. Now that I know that you thought you were doing what was best for me. That you never stopped loving me, I can’t stop thinking about you, about us. About how much I missed you and how much it hurts not to be with you. So I'd like to try again, to start over" Eren finished his speech, looking at Levi, hope filling his eyes.

  
"Yes. Yes, please yes. I want to try again. I want to be with you more than anything in the world. Leaving you was the hardest thing I've ever done." Levi said through his tears.

Eren smiled, a truly happy smile, directed at Levi for the first time since they had been reunited, pulling Levi into his arms, kissing him deeply.

"I promise to never make any life altering decisions without consulting you first if you promise the same." Eren said with a grin, making Levi laugh happily.

"Deal!" He said with the biggest smile he had probably ever had, Pulling Eren's face back into his, kissing him with all the passion and love he had suppressed in the previous years, Eren responding in equal measure.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am I done? Did I just conclude the story? Well that kind of snuck up on me. Should I leave it there? Would adding to it make it redundant or be kind of overkill? 
> 
> Let me know what you think and if there's anything you'd like to see in a sappy happy ending epilogue (I'm not great at those, apparently my speciality is angsty buildups-- honestly who knew?-- but I will do my best!)
> 
> Thank you everyone for reading, commenting, kudo-ing. You are all awesome!!
> 
> <3


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well it's finished!  
> I'm a little sad to see it go, but it's good timing because I definitely won't have much chance to write for the next while (Shouldn't have tonight since I have an exam tomorrow but oops! Meh, Accounting is my bitch, whatever) since I'm going to Toronto on Friday. Super pumped! I've never been there.
> 
> Anyway, I really hope you like it. Turned on the fluff for this chapter, at least I think I did, I hope it turned out okay! I apologize in advance if there are any grammar or typing errors, I didn't actually review it before posting as I finished it 2 minutes ago and I need to review for my test again.
> 
> Thank you for following along, your comments and kudos make me so happy!
> 
> Please enjoy!

 

 

 

The worst part about being with Eren was pretending that he wasn't completely and utterly in love with him, but if that was his only complaint then he would take it happily.

 

They had decided to take things slow, start over rather than continue where they had left off. They agreed it was for the best, giving them the opportunity to grow together again, to heal from the long and intense heartache they had suffered.

Levi knew it was a good idea, he was glad they had agreed to it, it was just difficult not to profess his love for the younger man at every opportunity. He couldn't help it, he had Eren back, the love of his life, his better half.

The emptiness he had felt for so long had finally been filled with soft touches, sweet kisses and warm cuddles. He was so overwhelmingly happy that he would take whatever pace Eren needed.

Though he may have had the best intentions, he had still left Eren, breaking off their engagement and Eren's heart. Eren finally knew the reason and held no resentment towards him, but after years of believing Levi didn't love him anymore Eren would need some time to trust him again. He was never going to hurt Eren again, he would do everything in his power to earn Eren's trust and love again.

 

 

"You ready?" Eren asked, stepping out of his office with a smile, pulling on his coat.

"Yeah, just making preparations for your 9:00 meeting, almost finished." Levi said with a small smile of his own. Eren waited by the elevator as Levi finished his task, shut down his computer and grabbed his coat.

"Off the clock?" Eren asked as Levi approached him.

"Off the clock" Levi said, laughing lightly as Eren pushed him up against the wall, kissing him tenderly.

 

They refused to intertwine their business relationship with their romantic relationship, acting as they always had during business hours. It made for some passionate kisses after hours and occasionally on lunch if the day seemed too long.

"I missed you" Eren smiled down at Levi.

"We've been together all day." Levi chuckled.

"I know, but it's not the same as when I can hold you in my arms." Eren leaned down, nipping at Levi's neck in the spot he knew was sensitive.

"I missed you too." Levi wrapped his arms around Eren tightly.

 

"How about we skip dinner, order some take out and stay in tonight?" Eren asked.

"My place or yours?" Levi asked without hesitation.

  
Hand in hand they walked through the building, "Have a good night you two" Krista called with a big smile on her face, she had been ecstatic when they had gotten back together a month ago.

 

 

\--------------Flashback-------------

 

_Levi and Eren walked into the office together, Monday after deciding to give their relationship a second chance._

_Levi was nervous as he walked, fingers laced with Eren's, not usually one to care about the opinions of others but when Eren was concerned he had always felt as though he wasn't good enough, especially now after they had been apart for so long._

_Krista was sitting at her desk with the new receptionist; Mina Carolina, a dark haired girl with a sweet personality._

  
_Krista jumped up, hands covering her mouth and eyes wide in shock. Levi felt himself blush, unable to hold in a smile._

_"Is this real? Are you two?" She asked, hope overpowering her voice._

_"We're trying again." Eren said with a shy smile of his own. Krista ran over, hugging them both as tears streamed down her face._

_"Of course you are! I am so happy for you!" She cried happily._

 

\------------End of Flashback---------------

 

 

 

 

They waved to her before heading out to Eren's car and driving to Eren's apartment, picking up takeout on the way.

They spent a quiet night in, something they hadn't done much of in their short new relationship but it was perfect. Levi had borrowed some comfortable clothes from Eren and they lounged on the couch, cuddled together.

 

"I missed you" Eren said again, his voice quiet and his grip around the petite man tightening.

"I missed you too" Levi said burying his face in Eren's chest.

"I never want to be without you again." Eren said.

"I'm so sorry." Levi whispered sadly.

"No, hey, that's not what I meant. I don't blame you for leaving me. You were only looking out for me. I just can't believe I have you back, sometimes it seems so surreal, like I'm dreaming. I just want to hold you tight and never let go." Eren said, lifting Levi's chin to meet his eyes.

 

"I never want you to let me go" Levi said as Eren's face morphed into a beautiful smile.

"Good, I won't" He said leaning down to capture his lips in a loving kiss.

 

 

"I guess I should get going." Levi said, standing up a couple hours later, grabbing his folded clothes. It had gotten pretty late, losing track of time as they cuddled on the couch.

"Maybe you should stay." Eren suggested.

"Really?" Levi asked, wanting nothing more than to spend the night tucked safely in Eren's arms.

"Yeah. I just can't stand the thought of you leaving right now." Eren said with a slight blush on his cheeks.

"I would love to stay." Levi said quietly.

"Great!" Eren smiled, he got up grabbing a spare toothbrush for Levi as they prepared for bed.

  
"Goodnight." Eren said as he held Levi in his arms.

"Mmmm" Levi moaned lightly, more comfortable than he had been in years.

Eren laughed, "I love you." he said quietly.

 

By the way Eren's body stiffened he hadn’t meant to say those words. The words Levi had been wanting to hear more than anything.

"I'm sorry. We're supposed to be taking things slow, but I can't help it. I never stopped loving you, and now that I have you I've fallen in love with you all over again" Eren said.

Levi looked up at him, "I feel the same. I love you so much, I've wanted to say it from the start but I didn’t want to push. I wanted you to trust me again, love me again in your own time" Levi explained.

 

"I do trust you! I know you'd never hurt me again. I know you were hurting as much as I was, how can I hold something against you when you were only thinking of me? I don’t need time to learn to love you, I do love you and I want to tell you at every opportunity." Eren said, holding Levi's face in his hand, leaning into kiss him again.

Levi would never tire of Eren's kisses.

 

 

 

\----------------------Time Skip-----------------------

 

 

 

"Are you seriously nervous? My parents love you!" Eren said as they walked up to Eren's parent's door.

"They _loved_ me." Levi corrected.

"They still love you. Mom had been hounding me to bring you over." Eren said pulling Levi in through the door.

"Mom? Dad?" Eren called as they walked through the house.

  
"Four months! Four months you two have been back together and this is the first time I've laid eyes on you!" Carla scolded Levi who stood partially hidden behind Eren.

"Come here!" She said pulling him into a hug, "Welcome home." She whispered in Levi's ear as he hugged her back tightly.

"Thank you" He whispered as tears fell from his eyes, looking over to his boyfriend standing with his father, both smiling tenderly at them.

 

 

 

\-----------------------Time Skip-----------------------

 

 

 

 

"Hey Levi?" Eren asked at they sat together quietly reading one Saturday evening.

Levi sitting against the arm of the couch with Eren's head laying in his lap, Levi's fingers absentmindedly running through the soft brown hair.

"Hey Eren?" Levi asked with a smirk, making Eren growl in playful annoyance.

"You're lease is up next month right?" Eren asked.

"It is, I have to meet with my landlord next week to renew it." Levi said simply.

"What if you didn't?" Eren asked.

"Then I'd have to find a new place, which honestly with my student loan and debt I can’t afford even with the extra money I get at this job." Levi said, oblivious to the meaning behind Eren's question until he heard a grunt of frustration from the younger man.

Eren sat up, looking at Levi with an eyebrow raised, amused annoyance in his eyes.

"Oh. OH! I—I really?" Levi gasped as realization hit him.

"Yes really! Move in with me. I love you, It's been 8 months, I hate everyday that we're not together." Eren insisted.

"I love you too." Levi said leaning in to kiss him deeply.

"I can’t afford your rent though." he added quietly, making Eren laugh loudly.

"I'm sure we can work something out." He said with a smile, pressing Levi into the couch as he continued to kiss him passionately.

 

 

 

\----------------------Time Skip----------------------

 

 

 

Krista and Ymir's wedding was beautiful, so full of love and happiness.

"You look gorgeous." Levi told Krista at the reception, it was the first chance he had gotten to speak to her, Weddings were extremely hectic for those involved.

Her dress was very elegant, paired with her angelic features she looked like a princess. "

Thank you Levi! And thank you for coming! I know how you hate parties." Krista laughed happily.

"I wouldn’t have missed it." Levi smiled.

He had enjoyed himself, watching Eren tear up when his good friends recited their vows, watching him fight with his horseface brother in law; they were actually good friends it was just hard to tell sometimes, and watching him dancing and having a great time with his friends, pulling Levi in on more than one occasion. It had been a great day, it was just somewhat of a bittersweet day.

This day had been a horrible reminder of what he gave up, the day Eren had proposed to him 6 years before. They were together again now, had been a little over a year, he was happy, the happiest he had ever been. He had a decent job and a man who loved him, albeit a man that was still way out of his league but he tried not to question it. He was no longer sad about a day that no longer mattered, he just couldn't help but to remember the four miserable years that this day had caused him so much pain, it reminded him just how lucky he was to have his love back.

 

Krista had been called away by her new wife and Levi made his way back to his table where Eren was sitting with his sister, best friend and their significant others.

"Good, Levi's back, maybe Eren will stop being an asshole" Jean said giving Eren a shove.

Eren shot him a glare before smiling at his boyfriend, "Hey Babe." He said, pulling Levi down to kiss him.

"You two are adorable." Armin smiled from across the table.

"It's disgusting." Annie said flatly, though a tiny smile graced her lips.

Eren's friends were amazing, they never held any contempt for Levi, welcoming him back as though nothing had ever happened.

 

 

 

\---------------Flashback----------------

 

 

 

_Levi sat nervously at the table, sipping his drink slowly. He was a very cheap drunk and extremely nervous as it was the first time he was seeing Eren's friends as a group since they reunited._

_They were all pleasant, acting as though he had never left, Levi couldn't tell if they were genuine or pretending for Eren's sake._

_Levi was terrified when Eren went up to get the next round of drinks, staring at the group nervously. Armin was the first to speak._

 

_"It's great to have you back Levi." He said sweetly._

_"Yeah, we haven’t seen Eren this happy in years." Jean added._

_"I'm glad." Levi said with a shy smile._

_"You can relax, we're not mad at you." Mikasa said, surprising everyone. If anyone was going to hate him it would be Eren's overprotective sister._

_"I'm sorry, I just don’t know what to say, you must have all hated me for what I did." Levi said._

_"We hated seeing Eren so sad, but we always knew why you did it." Armin said._

_"My parents told me about Eren not going to school. They said how upset you were when you left the house that day." Mikasa said_

_"We knew how much you loved each other, it must have been so hard to break up with him even though you knew it was the only way he would finish his dream." Armin said._

_Levi looked at them with glassy eyes, "T-thank you for understanding." He said quietly._

 

_They all gave him warm smiles as Eren returned to the table, arms full of drinks._

 

 

 

\-----------------------End of Flashback-----------------------

 

 

 

"I'm beat, are you ready to go?" Eren asked.

"God yes!" Levi exhaled making Eren laugh as he got up from his seat.

"I'll see you guys later?" Eren said, giving his sister a kiss on the cheek.

"You two have fun." Armin said with a grin, as Eren lead Levi out of the Banquet hall and into his car.

 

They made their way home, tiredly hopping in the shower and preparing for bed.

Eren was laying on top of it in nothing but his boxers when Levi came back from brushing his teeth.

"Not getting in?" Levi asked with an affectionate grin.

"Mmmm" Eren mumbled, waving his arms up and down for Levi to come cuddle with him.

Levi rolled his eyes with a huff, climbing on top of the covers and into Eren's awaiting arms.

"Again, not getting in the bed?" He raised an eyebrow.

Eren shook his head. Levi laughed lightly before laying his head down on Eren's chest, as he stroked his hair.

 

 

"Levi?" Eren asked quietly a few moments later.

"Yeah?" Levi asked lazily, he was in complete and utter comfort, drifting off to sleep in the arms of the man he loved.

  
"I love you." Eren said simply

"I love you too." Levi mumbled.

"I want to marry you." Eren said kissing the top of Levi's head.

He was awake now, sitting up abruptly, staring wide eyed at Eren. "I'm sorry, what?" He said, making Eren laugh.

 

"Levi, I love you, I love you with everything that I am. You are the only one I have ever truly loved and the only one I ever will love. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?" Eren asked, pulling a small boy out from underneath the pillow, opening it to reveal the same ring Eren had offered him six years prior.

Levi gasped, covering his mouth with his hand, staring at the ring, then back at Eren, "Are you sure?" He whispered.

Eren stared at him for a moment before bursting out laughing.

"I was sure six years ago and I am sure now. I want nothing more out of life than for you to be my husband. So please Levi, marry me." Eren said, eyes filled with love and passion.

Levi nodded, "Yes. Yes, of course!" He said throwing himself into Eren's arms once more.

"I love you so much." Levi whispered between heated kisses.

"I love you too." Eren said as he slipped the ring on Levi's finger.

 

 

This time it was never coming off.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it.. it's done..
> 
> What did you think? I hope you liked it!
> 
> As it turns out I really enjoy writing and your comments really help me want to post things for you. I don't have anything else planned but if you'd ever have something in mind you'd like me to attempt, I'd be more than happy to consider it!
> 
> Anyway, please let me know what you thought, I love all of you, you are amazing!
> 
> <3


End file.
